Crella (Pytheas) crassa (Hentschel, 1914)

Göcke, Christian & Janussen, Dorte, 2013, Demospongiae of ANT XXIV / 2 (SYSTCO I) Expedition — Antarctic Eastern Weddell Sea, Zootaxa 3692 (1), pp. 28-101 : 52

Crella (Pytheas) crassa (Hentschel, 1914)

( Fig. 3 K)

Crella crassa (Hentschel, 1914) : Burton 1932: 327. Koltun 1964: 68–69, pl. 12, fig. 25–27.

Crella (Pytheas) crassa (Hentschel, 1914) : following subgenus assignment in van Soest 2002f: 561.

Synonymy:

Grayella crassa Hentschel, 1914: 95 , pl. 7, fig. 3. Pytheas crassa (Hentschel, 1914) : Boury-Esnault & van Beveren 1982: 73–75, fig. 21.

Material. 2 specimens from station 048-1 (SMF 11831, 11832), 602.1 m, 70° 23.94' S, 8° 19.14' W, 12.01.2008.

Description. Massive to digitate elongate sponges overgrowing bryozoans. One specimen light beige, the other light brown. Surface in folds, firm. Choanosomal skeleton of thick plumose tracts of strongyles, running towards the surface. Ectosomal skeleton a poorly organized crust of mainly tangential acanthostyles. Megascleres strongyles 400–505 x 10–15 µm, acanthostyli 140–160 x 10 µm. Microscleres arcuate isochelae 22–28 µm.

Remarks. This species has been reported and figured in detail by Hentschel (1914), Koltun (1964) and Boury- Esnault and van Beveren (1982). Our new specimens are in accordance with the previous reports.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Habitus pictures. A: Tetilla leptoderma Sollas, 1886 (SMF 11760), alive, ex situ, B: Polymastia invaginata Kirkpatrick, 1907 (SMF 11777), alive, ex situ, C: Tentorium semisuberites (Schmidt, 1870) (SMF 11788), alive, ex situ, D: Tentorium papillatum (Kirkpatrick, 1908) (SMF 11787), alive, ex situ, E: Stylocordyla cf. chupachups Uriz, Gili, Orejas & Perez-Porro, 2011 (SMF 11771), in ethanol, F: Iophon unicorne Topsent, 1907 (SMF 11812), in ethanol, G: Raspailia (Hymeraphiopsis) irregularis Hentschel, 1914 (SMF 11806), in ethanol, H: Inflatella belli (Kirkpatrick, 1907) (SMF 11811), in ethanol, I: Lissodendoryx (Ectyodoryx) ramilobosa (Topsent, 1916) (SMF 11808), in ethanol, J: Lissodendoryx (Lissodendoryx) cf. styloderma Hentschel, 1914 (SMF 11826), in ethanol, K: Crella (Pytheas) crassa (Hentschel, 1914) (SMF 11832), in ethanol. Scale bars: A: 30 mm, B: 10, F – K mm, C – E: 5 mm.